Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
As I look for apartments in a city I've never even visited, I need some help in determining what's possible.
Say I live in the Rosslyn area and work in the Tyson's Corner (specifically next to Fairfax Square). How long would this commute typically take by car? I would think I would be going the opposite most, as I would be heading out of Arlington in the morning, as opposed to into the city like I would imagine most would be.
What would my other options be besides driving? (Sorry, new to public transportation).
One reason I don't specifically want to live closer to my work is there is a likely possibility that I won't always be at this location, so I want to have a more central location in case if I end up at a different location.
It's quite doable by car. Depending on where in Rosslyn, I'd probably try the GW Parkway north to 123-South first. You could take that past Tysons to Old Courthouse Road which leads right into the Fairfax Square area. You could also use 66-West to 123-South. You could even use 50-West to Gallows Road. All of them are reverse-commutes, though you'd hardly have the road to yourself in most cases.
The Metro Silver Line through Tysons won't open until late 2013 if they stay on schedule, but it traces the northeast quadrant of the 7/123 intersection and Fairfax Square is southwest, so it would be a bit of a hike to walk it. There will likely be at least decent shuttle service once we get to that point though.
The closest existing station is at Dunn Loring on the Orange Line. There are several bus routes from there that run the couple of miles up to Tysons. Not sure if any hit Fairfax Square, but they would certainly get somewhere close.
I'm also considering moving to Rosslyn and will be working in Tyson's Corner. Can you provide any time estimates for a typical commute.
Additionally, I'm also considering living in Dupont Circle or Penn Quarter. Do you (or anyone else) have any insight as to how much time that would add to my commute?
I'm also considering moving to Rosslyn and will be working in Tyson's Corner. Can you provide any time estimates for a typical commute.
Additionally, I'm also considering living in Dupont Circle or Penn Quarter. Do you (or anyone else) have any insight as to how much time that would add to my commute?
Thanks!
I used to do Dupont to Tysons. Depending on where you are going in Tysons could be plus or minus 15 minutes, but my commute was 13 miles -- 35 minutes to Tysons in the morning, 45-50 minutes back to Dupont in the evenings. If you live in Dupont, make sure you get a parking space or else looking for street parking can add a huge amount of time to your commute, especially on Thursdays and Fridays.
Also, take the GW Parkway to 123 instead of taking 66. 66 is horrible.
Tysons has apartments too... hopefully in 5 years people will be asking how it is to live in Tysons too. Right now I can't blame you for wanting to live in Rosslyn or DC (so much nicer of a community feel). We at TTC (http://thetysonscorner.com/blog/ - broken link) are trying to build a community from the ground up instead of from the metro down. Atleast in a year you'll be able to silver line it out to Tysons from Rosslyn which will end up only taking 5 minutes!
I used to do Dupont to Tysons. Depending on where you are going in Tysons could be plus or minus 15 minutes, but my commute was 13 miles -- 35 minutes to Tysons in the morning, 45-50 minutes back to Dupont in the evenings.
I take it that was via Key Bridge. If so, did you just take M Street across or was there some more devious route? Did you ever try going up to Chain Bridge?
Quote:
Originally Posted by SallyField
Also, take the GW Parkway to 123 instead of taking 66. 66 is horrible.
I think it's more that the GW Parkway to 123 is so good than that 66 is all that horrible.
I take it that was via Key Bridge. If so, did you just take M Street across or was there some more devious route? Did you ever try going up to Chain Bridge?
I think it's more that the GW Parkway to 123 is so good than that 66 is all that horrible.
Roosevelt Bridge. RCP is one-way going south in the mornings, so it's easy to get out of the Circle and over the bridge and onto GW Parkway in the mornings (get on RCP at P St). All in all, the morning commute to Tysons is not bad until you get up past McLean. I imagine it's worse now, with the construction.
Initially, I took 66, but 66 inside the Beltway seemed like it was always bad. Not so much in the mornings, but in the evenings, heading back into the city it could be really bad. GW Parkway going home was occasionally bad because one accident or weather really ties that road up (only 2 lanes each direction). Usually Roosevelt Bridge is best when heading home, too, because RCP is one-way the other way in the evenings. But I sometimes took the Key Bridge / Whitehurst Fwy going home, just to get off the GW Pkwy if it was slow.
Chain Bridge is not a good option because it is so far up in NW and it would be too much of a PITA to drive through Glover and Gtown. Hopping on and off RCP was very easy and traffic never tied up there.
Now that I live in McLean, I use Chain Bridge a lot more (to go to Bethesda). When we lived in the city, we rarely used Chain Bridge.
Roosevelt Bridge. RCP is one-way going south in the mornings, so it's easy to get out of the Circle and over the bridge and onto GW Parkway in the mornings (get on RCP at P St). All in all, the morning commute to Tysons is not bad until you get up past McLean. I imagine it's worse now, with the construction.
Ah, I didn't think of that. P into Georgetown, yes. P to RCP, no.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SallyField
Initially, I took 66, but 66 inside the Beltway seemed like it was always bad. Not so much in the mornings, but in the evenings, heading back into the city it could be really bad.
A lot of roads are worse in the afternoon it seems. Certainly 66 is one of them. If you are headed east from west of 267, get off before you get there. If not west of 267, don't get on at all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SallyField
Chain Bridge is not a good option because it is so far up in NW and it would be too much of a PITA to drive through Glover and Gtown. Hopping on and off RCP was very easy and traffic never tied up there.
Don't fix what ain't broke! I rarely drive to work at all anymore, but I used to get out of town pretty handily in the evening from Thomas Circle-ish via the Whitehurst and Canal Road to Chain Bridge. I'm now down on Capitol Hill on the weekends with some frequency and do often use Mass Ave to Nebraska to Arizona to Canal Road to get home. It's a nice drive. Often wondered whether it would be quite as nice at rush hour on a Tuesday morning. Traffic cam evidence has been inconclusive.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SallyField
Now that I live in McLean, I use Chain Bridge a lot more (to go to Bethesda). When we lived in the city, we rarely used Chain Bridge.
For a while, I had a project at GEICO World HQ, so would head there first, then downtown. Loved the Dalecarlia Parkway part.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
which will end up only taking 5 minutes!
